Fruit or vegetable masher.



Batented July l6, l90l.

S. A. SNOW &.'A.' TAYLOR. FRUIT 0B VEGETABLE MASHEB.

(Application filed liar. 2 2, 1900.)

(No Model.)

'V'flp asses: %M 9" fin UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

SPARROW AUeUsTUs sNOW, OF ARLINGTON, AND ARTHUR TAYLOR, or BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS; SAID SNOW ASSIGNOR To SAID TAYLOR.

FRUIT OR VEGETABLE MASHER.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 678,844, dated July16 1901.

Application filed March 22, 1900. Serial No. 9,707. (No model.)

- T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SPARROW AUGUSTUS SNOW, of Arlington, in the countyof Middlesex, and ARTHUR TAYLOR, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk,State of Massachusetts, have jointly invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fruit or Vegetable Mashers, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide a vegetable-masher especiallyadapted for restaurants,hotels,and public institutions, where largequantities of material are to be treated speedily.

Our machine is unusually simple and effective and is peculiar in theready detachability of the parts for cleansing after use. It istherefore adapted for treating the various sorts of vegetables, fruits,&c., successively.

Our improved machine consists of an independent supporting-frame, aremovable hopper mounted therein and preferably made tape'ring, a curveddetachable strainer closing the lower part of the hopper, and rotatablemashing-blades running in close proximity to said strainer and actuatedby a removable driving-shaft having its bearings in the frame or hopper,or both. Abundant space is left beneath the frame and strainer for areceiving panor vessel. The three blades of the masher curve rearwardlyand areformed integral with a central hub having an axial perforation tofit and engage the shaft whether round or square, and each blade haspreferably two or more openings through it,allowing the potato or othermaterial to crowd through and be partially crushed. The strainer is ofstout wire-netting having a heavier marginal wire inclosed in itsborder, which in use lies just inside of the curved lower edges of thehopper sides,while the ends of the strainer and hopper are furnishedwith fastenings for quickly connecting and disconnecting them. Two setsof eyes and connecting-rods through them are suitable for this purpose.The strainer may, however, be supported by an internal flange, head, orrib wholly within the hopper-mouth. External strips of angle-iron or thelike on the sides of the hopper at the line of contact with the top ofthe frame form a stop or rest to hold the hopper and its strainer inproper relation to the frame, the mashing-blades, and the driving-shaft.It will thus be seen as characteristic of our machine that all the partsare separable on removing the driving-shaft, since the masher is thenremovable from the hopper, the hopper from the frame, and the frame isentirely independent of any receptacle to receive the mashed material.

The strainer is detachable from the hopper at any time Without otherwisedismembering the machine. This permits frequent cleansing and readyreplacing of the part most difficult to keep sweet and exposes thebeaterblades and the smooth interior of the hopper to be wiped out whendesired. The strainer having no Wooden or other inclosing frame orgrooved way for such frame to slide in no lodgment is given for decayedparticles of vegetable matter or other impurities. The hopper with itsdetachable strainer-bottom is the only receptacle connected with ourmachine.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of our machine inposition for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in the plane of thedriving-shaft, and Fig. 3 a like sectionon line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4,5, and 6 show the mashing-blades, the strainer, and the connectingpindetached.

'A represents a suitable form of frame consisting of two side piecesconnected at top and bottom by cross-bars, leaving at top a rectangularopening to receive the hopper. The hopper B is of rectangularcross-section and tapers downwardly, the lower portion of its wallsbeing shown vertical in Fig. 2. A suitable stop supports the hopperwithin the frame in proper position. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 such a stopconsists of strips of angle-iron O,

secured on the outer wall of the hopper at v the marginal wire shall liejust outside of the lower edges of the hopper sides. Perforated sheetmetal could be substituted for the netted strainer; but we deem thenetwork much better for most purposes.

G represents the mashing wings or blades,

preferably three in number and all formed integral with the central hub,which has an axial perforation to receive the driving-shaf t. Thesewings curve rearwardly, so as to press the material through thestrainer, and are formed with openings through them to permit some ofthe material to pass through, which eases the movement of the machineand increases its efficiency. The wings G are of such lengthas to nearlyor quite fill the space between the lower walls of the hopper and ofsuch width as to move in close proximity to the strainer.

H is the driving-shaft, mounted in hearings in the frame and extendingthrough the sides of the hopper. The body of this shaft is representedas square to fit a square axial opening through the hub of the wings G.The end of the shaft is provided with a suitable crank J. It will beseen that on withdrawal of the shaft from its working position the wingsG, forming the masher proper, may

be removed from the hopper and the hopper from the frame, and that suchshaft may be readily replaced, holding the parts again in workingposition. The strainer may at any time be removed without detaching theother parts.

We thus provide a most efficient apparatus for the purpose designed andat the same time arrange for ready cleansing of any and all parts andfor immediately assembling and uniting them again.

For small household machines the frame and hopper may bepermanentlyunited; but the strainer and masher proper should be detachable in anycase.

We claim as ourjoint invention-- In a fruit and vegetable masher, askeleton frame, a removable hopper fitting therein, made open at bottomand provided with external stops resting on the frame-top, and an archedstrainer detachahiy secured to and closing the bottom opening in saidhopper, in combination with a plurality of mashingblades formed integraland having an angular axial perforation, and with a removabledriving-shaft fitting said perforation and having its bearings formedthrough said frame and hopper, such shaft thus serving to connect theframe, hopper and mashinghlades for use and to disconnect them forcleansing, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

' S. AUGUSTUS SNOW.

. ARTHUR TAYLOR.

Witnesses: v A. H. SPENCER, J. G. DALY.

